Purdue’s College of Education hosts group of Jordanian higher educators, scholars
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Purdue University College of Education hosted a team of six higher educators and scholars from three Jordanian universities from May 8-12, 2023. The visit was part of a USAID Pre-service Teacher Education in Jordan program whose purpose was to explore the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) Accountability Measures (CAEP) in practice at Purdue’s College of Education.
(l) – Ryan Farrell, teacher education recruiter in the College of Education, explains the College’s recruitment strategy.
(r) – Jordanian delegation toured the Purdue campus on a beautiful spring day, including a stop at the John Purdue statue. (Purdue University photos/DeEtte Starr)
The USAID Pre-service Teacher Education in Jordan program is implemented by IREX, a global development & education organization.
Purdue was one of only five American universities asked to host Jordanian educators on this study tour, and was chosen from a select group of nationally accredited U.S. universities that either had just completed or were about to undertake their CAEP re-accreditation application. As such it was a perfect opportunity for the delegation to learn from officials, faculty, and administrators currently or very recently involved in the CAEP process and associated sustainability efforts.
Dr. Kathryn Obenchain, associate dean for Learning, Engagement, and Global Initiatives for the College and a professor of Social Studies education, and Dr. Jennifer Barce, assistant dean for Teacher Education and director of the Office of Clinical Practice, organized and hosted the visit. Dr. Amber Reed, director of Strategic Assessment and Accreditation for the College, assisted.
The visiting educators wanted to learn more about educator preparation and teacher preparation programs, teacher evaluation strategies, classroom management skills, partnerships with local schools for clinical experiences, international accreditation, and models for accreditation documentation and quality assurance.
The visiting tour delegation included:
From Mu’tah University
Professor Khalaf Ali Abbas Alsagrat, vice dean
Dr. Elham Hasan Shehadeh Shadeed, teacher educator
Professor Sabri Hassan Khaleel Altarawneh, diploma leader
From Hashemite University
Professor Sahail Mahmoud Mubarak Asassfeh, dean of Education Sciences
Dr. Ayman Mohammad Khalaf Oliemat, partnership and mentoring leader
From University of Jordan
Sana’ Y. I Majdalawieh, instructor/member of the Curriculum and Instruction Department
The Jordan tour delegates learned about how Purdue’s educator preparation program meets CAEP requirements. This included a discussion and review of the Purdue and Indiana context, program and degree structure, the types of evidence collected and analyzed, as well as the systems and processes implemented to ensure quality and consistency.
Purdue faculty gave presentations and facilitated discussions regarding capstone assessments; technology resources and uses to improve P-12 learning; the Technology Integration and Blended and Online Teaching (Ti-BOT) license and competency-based approach; the Office of Teacher Education Licensure (OTEL); teacher education recruitment related to CAEP; operation of the Office of Clinical Practice; operation of the Office of Strategic Assessment and Accreditation including its project management system, advisory boards, staffing, data review and continuous improvement; diversity efforts; Purdue data sources and accreditation requirements; and a discussion of key partners.
Purdue teacher education faculty from the Colleges of Education, Agriculture, and Health and Human Sciences, and the Purdue Polytechnic Institute, also led a panel discussion about faculty experience with accreditation and how non-licensure and non-accredited programs differ.
The Jordanian educators toured instructional and student support spaces within the College of Education, and visited some of the College’s stakeholder school partners. They also presented to Purdue Education faculty their context for CAEP and teacher education, program development and structure, and program/accreditation progress.
The week culminated with the tour delegates attending the Purdue’s Teacher Education Pinning Ceremony, where the College honored students who graduated in Teacher Education from Purdue in May 2023.
After the visit, the Jordan tour delegates returned to their home universities across Jordan and are actively preparing to submit their applications for CAEP accreditation later this year. They learned lessons and gained experiences during their Purdue visit that have substantially enhanced and directed data and evidence collection efforts at each university, and aided in guiding and framing the applications’ self-study reports and documentation of alignment with the six CAEP standards.
The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) is a U.S.-based professional organization that provides national accreditation for educator preparation programs. As the largest national accrediting body in the US, CAEP requires that programs meet six standards that provide information on a program’s effectiveness and impact. Purdue University is a fully accredited educator preparation program for both initial and advanced programs.
Sources: Dr. Kathryn Obenchain, Purdue University, kobench@purdue.edu; Timothy A Shorter, IREX, tshorter@irex.org